Food Consistency

What makes McDonald's a great company and what they have been known for is consistency. The good food that they sell all over the world come out the same wherever it is in the world.

Now, I have not worked at McDonald's to tell you how they do it.

In the restaurants that I have worked with, food inconsistency is almost always a problem. Why?

• No standard recipes
• No solid kitchen leader or monitoring
• Supplier inconsistency
• Lack of cooking staff training

That a certain menu item comes out the same, tasting the same as the last time you ordered, looks the same is a sign of good kitchen management.

When you look at some guest complaints, some of them pertain to the food smaller or lesser than the last time we ordered or the food wasn't as good as the last time.

If your restaurant wants to make a name for itself, it is not just all about good dining area designs and explosive marketing campaigns, it is also about stabilizing your kitchen. Restaurants are all about food. Therefore, at least 60% of your effort should go to improving food.

Food consistency is achieved when your kitchen crew knows how each and every menu item should look and taste when they come out of the window. I have gone to the extent of takign photos and putting them in an album where the cooks can refer to.

I have seen restaurants do it without any documentation. That is fine for the time being. But what if one of them or even your kitchen head resigns, how do you teach to a new staff or get the info from the head?

Small or big, fancy or laid back, your restaurant should aim for consistently great food everytime.